MailWasher is a freeware program designed to remove spam, viruses and unwanted attachments from your e-mail before they get to your computer. MailWasher connects to your e-mail server(s) then retrieves and displays information about the e-mails waiting for you. Aided by MailWasher's inbuilt processing tools, you can then decide what to do with each individual e-mail - download, delete, or bounce it back to the sender. MailWasher deletes unwanted messages at the server, without downloading them - or it can bounce an e-mail back to the sender so that it looks as though your address is not valid, making the spammer think you don't exist.

By checking your email account with MailWasher, you can eliminate the e-mails you don't want. Then, when you use your e-mail program, it downloads only the remaining messages - those that you actually want to read.

MailWasher can be thought of as a first line of defence which can weed out junk, large wasteful attachments and potentially harmful viruses.

MailWasher Free is the latest version of MailWasher (released 14 March 2003).

To preview an e-mail message, double-click on the message or select > e-mail > preview. MailWasher displays the message in a new window. You can view the message as it downloads rather than having to wait for the entire message to arrive. Previewing an e-mail renders the e-mail in text-only format, eliminating the possibility of receiving a virus while previewing it. You can stop viewing at any time by clicking the cross in the corner to exit.

HTML can carry viruses and other scripts which can run when viewed.
Although HTML is easier to read and better to look at, it is potentially harmful to view HTML emails if you are unsure of where they have come from.

Q.        How does MailWasher delete messages?
A.        MailWasher deletes email directly off your internet providers server before it is downloaded.

Q.        Can I get deleted messages back?
A.        Unfortunately not, you may be able to contact your internet service provider and see if they back up their messages. Otherwise you will have to write back to the sender if you can remember them and ask for their message again.

Setup

Q.        Which operating systems does MailWasher run on?
A.        Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP and XP Pro.

Q.        Does it run under Linux?
A.        While there is not a native Linux version of MailWasher available, there is a codeweavers WINE port for Linux available.
Head to http://appdb.codeweavers.com/ and search for Mailwasher.

Q.        What are the minimum requirements to run MailWasher?
A.        4 Mb of RAM, 4Mb of disk space, and an Internet connection.

Q.        Which email programs does MailWasher work with?
A.        MailWasher works independently of other email programs so it doesn’t matter which one you use.

Q.        Which mail protocols does MailWasher support?
A.        Only POP3 email accounts are supported. For Hotmail, MSN , AOL and IMAP support, try MailWasher Pro which is available from http://www.firetrust.com